Meet Vanessa Grossl

Born and raised in Eastern Kentucky, Vanessa Grossl is the daughter of a public school teacher and diesel mechanic. Her parents taught her to work hard, care about her community and uphold the values we all share.

Today, Vanessa is a business-minded executive who makes state government work for the people. She works for a software company that is the leading digital wallet purchasing and reimbursement platform for public funds, bringing transparency and accountability to public tax dollars. Vanessa and her husband, Cameron, an engineer, pilot, and aircraft mechanic, also run a small business: Grossl Aviation. 

Prior to her current job, Vanessa worked at The Council of State Governments’ (CSG) National Headquarters in Lexington, KY, where her portfolios included education, workforce, finance, criminal justice, emergency preparedness, tech, privacy, and cybersecurity policy. She co-lead the 2021-2022 Healthy States National Task Force before being promoted internally to Advancement Manager.

Public service and bettering her community have always been a calling. Vanessa worked in local government in Lexington where she opened the city’s first international center, oversaw a number of key community outreach and engagement programs, and served as liaison to the Mayor’s International Affairs Advisory Council, and to the city’s Emergency Operations Center. She built steadfast relationships with city council members, their staff, and other key department officials, and within the Mayor's Office.

Prior to her tenure as a civil servant, Vanessa spent nearly a decade as a teacher, including four years with the Fayette County Public Schools where she earned the 2013 Outstanding New World Languages Teacher of the Year Award presented by the Kentucky World Languages Association and was appointed to the Kentucky Department of Education’s School Guidelines and Profiles Committee in 2018.  

Vanessa is an active member of the Rotary Club of Lexington After Hours, has served on the Boards of Directors at the Blue Grass Community Foundation and the Japan America Society of Kentucky, is a Leadership Lexington alumnus and a Junior League of Lexington sustainer. 

Vanessa holds degrees from the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce and is pursuing a PhD at the University of Kentucky.